Heroes and Hormones
by feeltheRUSH
Summary: discontinued  I only keep it here for the Afriends ficlet. /happy sigh
1. Just Getting Warmed Up

**I absolutely love Young Justice. And I also love Kid Flash. It was love at first sight, back when Teen Titans owned the primetime slot and KF was after Jinx, not Artemis. But, I gotta say, Young Justice has Teen Titans beat. But enough of my babbling. This fic is meant to be a series of one-shots that help characterize the... characters, however, I am hoping some sort of plot rises from the disorganized chaos of my brain.  
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**Dude, Cartoonnetwork deserves props for making a show that's sweeter than Nutella: Young Justice, which I don't own. Which is a good thing, I'm sure.**

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Heroes and Hormones

Just Getting Warmed Up

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Panting hard, Kid Flash landed flat on his back. Black Canary brushed her gloved palms together, something of a smirk on her lips. "Instead of focusing on my chest, focus on my stance," she advised, half-amused and half-disapproving.

"You mean on your legs?" the redhead flipped onto his stomach, his hands resting beneath his chin. "I can do that." Sure, Black Canary was older, but such a tiny detail couldn't stop the Kid.

Robin snickered, leaning comfortably against the counter, watching. The speedster, shrugged in careless way from his spot on the ground.

"Artemis, you're next," Dinah announced, dismissing and ignoring the irrepressible Kid Flash.

Sighing dreamily, Kid Flash rose swiftly to his feet. He was standing next to Robin, snapping off a section of a Flash Bar an instant later. Artemis passed the speedster, shooting him a glare as she did.

"Don't screw up. Y'know, like you did with the assassin," he said, the spite in his voice was poorly disguised. Robin elbowed Kid in the ribs. Usually Wally wasn't so quick to bite, but something about Artemis just ticked off the redhead to no end.

It infuriated the speedster when Artemis ignored him, walking away like he hadn't said anything. He _hated_ it when people treated him like a minor pest. If he was going to be pest, he'd be the _majorest_ pest out there.

Artemis dropped into a crouch, arms raised, hands balled into fists. Her hair was tied, as it always was, in a low ponytail that swung to past her waist. If she was anyone but Artemis, Kid might've admitted it was a good look. But, since it was most assuredly Artemis who owned that long, blonde hair, he usually compared it to a horse's butt.

Black Canary, on the other hand... now there was a beautiful lady. Also, blonde, but Kid Flash reasoned that Dinah couldn't help Artemis leeching off her hair color. Canary mimicked Artemis and took a battle stance... well, no that wasn't right. Artemis must've somehow future mimicked Canary, like the archer had read Canary's mind and done the action that was rightfully Canary's, to make it look like the younger blonde had thought of it first. Or something like that. Wally's head was usually full of these intricate theories.

The two blondes locked eyes, staring fearlessly at one another. Then Artemis' fist darted out, like a snake. Canary parried the blow easily, using her forearm to redirect the attack.

"Ha, predictable," Kid Flash commentated for Robin's sake, since Superboy was brooding moodily in the shadows of the hallway and Miss Martian had no interest in jibbing the newbie; He was too grumpy and she was too nice. Robin always humored the redhead and laughed along with him. Artemis' eyes tightened at Kid's words and her jaw tightened. Then she stooped down, her leg sweeping beneath Canary. Nimble as always, the elder- but not _old_, mind you- heroine danced out of harm's way, her face a mask of concentration.

"Puhleaase," the commentary continued, even as the battle remained on even terms. Artemis even seemed to gain an upper hand for a moment, catching Dinah's wrist in her grip. But the black-clad heroine smiled minutely, whipped around, hooking her foot behind Artemis' head, and forced Artemis to fall flat on her face.

The illuminated flooring declared that Artemis' status was 'Fail.'

Robin and Kid Flash guffawed behind their hands. Kid Flash was baiting Artemis, but Robin could never help himself. He excelled in hand to hand combat, and seeing all the older heroes get duped by simple feints was hilarious. Robin cackled again. It was hard for him to remember that his teammates didn't have the Batman as a mentor.

Artemis picked herself up, with an angry toss of her ponytail. Her eyes sparked. "At least I lasted longer than you," she snapped, challenging Wally, "the _fastest boy to lose_."

"Hey, you can't do that!" the redhead protested, his laughter died off immediately. His catch phrase was _sacred_ for speed's sake! How dare she defile it.

Employing a smirk that grated on every single tiny nerve that zigzagged through the speedster's body, Artemis strut up to him, jabbing him in the chest. "What're you gonna do about it?"

Wally's personal bubble breached, he found himself staring straight into Artemis' sharp blue eyes. Inexplicably and for no good reason, his heart began to thrum in his head, keeping time to a fast paced gig. Color rushed to his cheeks, and his own eyes narrowed. It was all because of his competitiveness. It had to be.

"Well, least I _have_ a catchphrase. I'm well rounded like that," Kid retorted, suddenly aware that he was arching backward, shying away from her. He straightened abruptly; he wasn't gonna let some two-bit heroine intimidate him. Artemis reacted instinctively, raising her hands. They pressed slightly against his chest, and he paused, horrorstruck. If she hadn't heard his thundering heart before, she most definitely could _feel_ it now. It was racing faster than Uncle Barry on a caffeine binge.

There was an awkward pause.

"Love, hate, you two?" Robin cracked, bring reality crashing down on the two. Kid Flash flinched away, shoving Artemis away from him.

"Ew, maybe the second option, you _outgenius_ twerp," Kid replied, appearing on the other side of the youngest, trying to copy Robin's habit of abusing the English language. The ploy was enough to distract his best friend from his entanglement with the archer.

The Boy Wonder caught Wally's attempt and snorted. "I am officially whelmed at your attempts, KF."


	2. Food Is Not His Friend

**Hello again! This weekend's been so productive. All thanks to you reviewers out there; your encouragement helped me out every step of the way.**

**This particular chapter was inspired by the latest episode of Young Justice: 'Downtime'. Unfortunately, for all the Aqualad fans, it's not centered around him. Superboy and Miss Martian are the stars for now. I don't really get why a lot of people don't like Miss Martian. She's a sweet girl and she turning into a great cook- okay not really, but she'll get there! So what's not to love? I've got a soft spot for Superboy 'cause his voice actor also gives life to Raphael of the 2007 TMNT movie. Hurr.**

**Enjoy the fic, and remember, I don't own Young Justice, I just love its characters. Reviews make me happy.  
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**Heroes and Hormones

Food Is Not His Friend**  
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Miss Martian had touched him. His physical contact had been, thus far, limited to brutal punches and grabbing clutches. But she'd been extremely gentle, her fingers swabbing at the mess of vinegar and cooking oil that stained his shirt. He'd been apathetic to the frenzied stream of words that left her mouth; he'd never been a big talker. The way her fingers lightly dabbed at his chest, it left him feeling... confused. Something was stirring in the pit of his stomach, but Superboy couldn't quite tell if it was a wave of annoyance or anger. So he merely stood, allowing the Martian to dust off an eggshell from his shoulder.

From there, she moved upward, one hand resting on his hard jawline, the other lighting on his shoulder. And for once, her incessant chatter stopped. There was a definite surge of unsaid feeling in Superboy, and his expression softened. The clone was puzzled. Her amber eyes were locked on his, and it felt like they both were powerless to break the spell of the moment. His artificially implanted lessons hadn't touched upon this type of situation. Superboy knew how to lay bulldoze through solid cement and when to utilize the eye roll. But this? He wasn't so sure. Should he shout at her? ...No, she looked too confused herself.

It struck him that they both were in uncharted waters. She was an alien, learning new customs and he was clone, struggling to belong.

Silently, he slid away and plopped himself before the static filled television screen. His ears detected her soft steps about the kitchen, her breathing slightly faster than normal. Then he heard the sound of wood on the counter, then the measured beats of a knife falling against the chopping board. All he could do was listen to the quick tempo of Megan slicing through vegetables as he stared at the flickering dots of black, gray and white.

XoXoXoX

A few days later, the team was out in the field. Miss Martian linked them mentally, allowing the foremost thoughts of each member to be shared between them. Aqualad and Kid Flash skimmed through and over the waters of the sea, while the other four heroes were nestled inside the bioship. Batman sent them on a dull recon mission. The team hadn't complained because this particular mission was personal to Aqualad; they were searching for the terrorists who bombed Atlantis.

Robin and Artemis shared a slightly sulky silence about having to hauled around in the ship, to which Kid gave a cheerful wave from beneath the speeding ship, moving so fast, he left a long, white wake trailing behind him.

_Cocky, little- _Artemis muttered, and Kid Flash cut her off, explaining pointedly that it wasn't his fault he had super awesome powers of superspeed and she didn't. Kid also made it clear that Robin's lack of powers made him no less cool. But in Artemis' case, it made her extremely less cool. The two began a heated quarrel over the mental link.

Superboy ignored them, listening to the thrum of Aqualad's worries that sounded within his head. Ever since the team had defeated the Fog, Aqualad insisted on using mental communication, so they would eliminate the possibility of hacked comms while gaining insight on each other's thoughts at the same time. Generally, Superboy couldn't detect the subtle hints of emotions, he doubted if anyone of them did, but Aqualad's inner turmoil was hard to miss.

The attack on Atlantis had shaken the young leader and, while he remained as level-headed and friendly as ever, he seemed withdrawn. Superboy only noticed because Aqualad, who had always reached out to the clone, stopped his occasional conversations with him.

_Superboy?_ Megan whispered, the thought going unnoticed by Robin, who was listening interestedly in Artemis and Kid Flash verbally pit against each other, or Aqualad, who was searching beneath the crystal surface of the sea. Only Aqualad seemed truly devoted to searching for the assailants of Atlantis.

Slowly, Superboy turned his head, looking at Megan with one eye, acknowledging her.

_I was thinking,_ even in thought, she was hesitant and uncertain. Superboy give no encouragement for her to continue. Her golden eyes cast downward, betraying her embarrassment. Then she steeled herself, braving a glance into his face. Superboy remained impassive, wonder why she always acted so... timid around him. It wasn't like he was the enemy. And he had long since apologized for snapping at her. He didn't understand. Maybe it was a Martian thing.

Silence between them ensued, while Wally and Artemis soundly berated each other. Robin laughed, rolling in his seat, when Wally began starting a loud barrage of _LALALALA! _to drown out Artemis' thoughts.

_Would you like to... get a smoothie? I've never had them before and neither have you but Kid Flash said that they were really good and- _her thoughts began sounding faster and louder, hurrying to reveal her thoughts before she lost her nerve. Superboy cut her off in a slightly nonplussed voice.

_No._

_Huh? What's happening? _Wally stopped his obnoxious thinking, keen to interact with the green-skinned Martian. Fortunately, he and the rest of the team had heard the tail end of Miss Martian's question, but only comprehended Superboy's reply.

_Nothing, _Superboy replied, giving a deadpanned stare at his teammates within the bioship. Artemis and Robin returned their attention to the scanners. Aqualad's doubts continued the hum as an undertone of their shared minds, but the leader did not speak to his comrades.

Miss Martian's lips twitched upward, and her eyes brightened. Superboy had given her the same 'no' he had given just before they shared that silent moment amid the spilled cooking oil and egg shells.

XoXoXoX

Later that day, Superboy was giving a curly, neon green straw a cautious stare. Megan smiled at him from across the table. Against her red lips, her white, even teeth stood out. He looked dubiously down at the contents of the cup again. It was pink and sluggish looking. People drank this?

"What...is this?" he asked tentatively, taking the straw between his thumb and forefinger.

"Here, watch," she said, lifting her hand. The cup obligingly raised itself halfway between the two heroes. Grasping a separate straw, Megan demonstrated how to use it properly. Superboy nodded, then attempted to take a sip of the smoothie, stabbing the end of his straw deep into the liquid. His super breath sucked the smoothie up into to the straw. He noticed how she was watching him intently, only a few inches away from his face. Smoothie exploded from his straw and into his mouth, too much too fast. He coughed, spluttering.

Megan couldn't help herself, and she began giggling. Superboy looked up at her with that slight frown, arms held outward and slumped back in his seat. Pink was splattered on the front of his shirt. She had meant well, he was sure, but these hazardous accidents involving her and food were getting old. Superboy stood, chair flying backward as he did. Other patrons of the smoothie shop looked around with interest.

"Su- Connor!" she called, her laughter gone. Her eyes implored him to stay with her.

He didn't answer, just stalked out the door.


	3. Afriendship

**Young Justice why are you so greaaat? WHY? The only thing? I noticed a severe lack of Robin/Artemis interaction. They would awesome friends. I know. How? Well, funny you you should ask. Whilst talking to my good friend over an _awesome_ Young Justice RPG [yeah, I'm gonna shamelessly plug] that I highly recommend you check out, we got around to roleplaying Artemis and Robin. And our conversation went something like the fic below. Please, pop a bag of popcorn, because the Boy Wonder is performing tonight...**

**Though I'm dying to own that adorable being that is Robin, I don't. Young Justice belongs to DC and CN.  
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Heroes and Hormones

Afriendship

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Robin, paranoid as his mentor, had already investigated the many nooks and crannies of Mount Justice. The Boy Wonder would so totally own if ever he convinced the rest of his teammates that Hide and Seek was a perfectly respectable game to play. It'd be fairer than Tag. Robin was pretty sure Wally would take advantage of his superspeed, and Robin hated the thought of losing, even to his best bro. However, the opportunity had yet to present itself to suggest either of these games to the team. But Robin was patient. Maybe some rainy day when they were all cooped up on a Saturday afternoon.

Right now the Boy Wonder was sitting on the couch, shades concealing his identity. Having looked over every inch of Mount Justice, Robin knew there was nothing extremely noteworthy about the couch. It was cushy. It was big. It was green. But soon, it'd be the birthplace of a powerful relationship.

Only Artemis sat beside him, gazing neutrally at the TV in front of them. For the moment, a commercial about dental cream invaded the huge screen. Robin groaned indistinctly. The commercials were _almost_ better than the show. Some sappy Spanish telenova that Artemis had dragged up from the depths of Robin's nightmares. The entire show was whiny girls and shirtless dudes. Robin wasn't tired enough to block out the sobbing Blanca, or whatever the heck her name was, but he didn't have the energy to withstand this torture much longer without talking.

"Hey archerfriend," Robin said abruptly, his voice cutting over the commercial's guarantee that _this_ cream would cement dentures in tighter than tacky glue. Giving the TV a perplexed glance, he turned his head to look at the blonde seated a few feet away.

"That better be a compliment," Artemis threatened casually, eyes still watching the dancing set of dentures onscreen. The corner of her pink lips twitched, her eyes reflecting the image of pearly whites that was pasted on the TV.

Robin stretched, straightening out his legs and touching his toes, hands grabbing the bottom of his soles. He smiled genuinely, "Of course it is, archerfriend."

Noticing his antics, Artemis smiled faintly, dark eyes flicking to take in her teammates expression. "So I guess that makes you my acrobatfriend," she deduced, placing a finger thoughtfully against her cheek.

Batman's protégé looked pleased with her conclusion. "Yeah, we're afriends." Unlike Artemis, Robin was taking their new nicknames very seriously. His smile grew, nearing a trademark grin that usually spelled some sort of shenanigans.

"Afriends," she repeated, mild disbelief painted her tone. Her eyebrows were raised.

Nodding affirmative, Robin relaxed back into the couch cushions, silently celebrating that he'd distracted her from the telenova. While Blanca fawned over Eduardo, Robin leaned her way, staring hard from behind his shades. "Yes. Afriends, one of the most powerful forms of friendship, rivaling bromance," he explained sternly, sweatshirt bunching up at his elbows.

Artemis snorted, tossing her ponytail, then returned to watching the TV. "Okay, whatever you say, afriend," she smirked.

Robin grinned triumphantly, looking very smug with himself. For a moment, the two lapsed into a neutral silence, both their eyes directed at the drama unfolding on the widescreen. Then Robin twisted in his seat again, a determined set in his jaw. "You were only Green Arrow's protégé for two months, right?" he asked, careful not to sound too interested.

The archer's head turned slowly to regard him with a wary look. "Why?"

Shrugging in his seat, the Boy Wonder answered sincerely, "I'm curious. Everyone here has a story, and I know everyone's except yours. My detective senses are tingling."

Again, Artemis snorted. "Sorry, Mr. Shades, I don't do show and tell," her voice hardened slightly as she looked pointedly at the sunglasses that were omnipresent when Robin wasn't in costume.

Raising his hands defensively, Robin touched a forefinger to his glasses. "Hey, Batman's orders, remember?"

Artemis snickered, but made no reply.

Inwardly, Robin rubbed his temples. Outwardly, he fell back against the couch, fiddling with his sweatshirt sleeve. It'd be a risky business, weighing the pros and cons, Robin decided that it was worth it. After hesitating, he arched toward Artemis again, looking tense. "Look, if I tell you a piece of my story, will you tell me a piece of yours?" he asked in a low voice. Robin looked worried that the walls- or worse- would be listening in.

That caught her attention. The Boy Wonder was so secretive, it was difficult _not_ to be interested. Raising her brow again, she considered his request. "Batman wouldn't approve of this," she replied evasively, preferring to avoid their Q & A session for as long as possible.

At that, Robin struck a dramatic pose, collapsing against the back of the couch, a hand resting softly on his forehead. He looked mournfully at his archerfriend, sniffing once. "And I am willing to risk my mentor's wrath just to get to know my afriend better." Despite his excellent performance, he couldn't fight down the small smile that lit his lips.

Apparently Artemis couldn't help herself either, an defeated smile spreading over her lips. Then, after thinking for a moment, her smile dimmed. But she nodded reluctantly. This type of offer didn't crop up everyday. "Okay, but I won't tell you somethings," she said, plainly eager to set boundaries.

Straightening immediately, Robin grinned broadly at her, noting how Artemis shifted uncomfortably. He pressed her nonetheless, intensely curious. "So, before GA, who was your mentor?" he prodded.

Breathing through her nose, Artemis moved slightly under the spotlight cast by his question. "I've only told Wally this. And that was by accident," she said slowly, gaze flitting between the face of her fellow Young Justice and the telenova.

Lunging forward, Robin snatched the remote from her far hand, swooping over her body as he did. Then he settled back into his seat, the TV powering down. Then, looking back at Artemis with polite expression of interest, he tossed the remote to the far corner of the room. "Told him what?" he asked, as if he hadn't just invaded her personal bubble.

Artemis stiffened, but she relaxed once Robin retreated back to his original position. Sometimes his ninja-ness was freaky. Yet her lips pursed slightly to fight back another smile as he stamped out the competition for her attention. After a bit of silence, she answered quietly, "My mentor was my dad."

Now it was Robin's turn to dim. His face fell slightly at the mention of 'dad'.

A quizzical look on her face, Artemis scooted closer to Robin, pausing before she put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. You okay?"

With eerie speed, Robin's faltered expression repaired into a cocky smile. "I'm always _fine_. I'm the _Boy Wonder_, protege of the _Batman_." His skinny chest puffed out slightly, the stylized 'R' badge gleaming in the low light. So he was a little prideful of his title, who wouldn't be?

Scoffing, Artemis dropped her hand from his shoulder. She'd already come up with her own counterattack question. Yet this little display of conceitedness wouldn't help with the whole deep connection thing their conversation was going for. "How'd you become the Boy Wonder? Ego aside."

At 'ego aside' Robin pulled at his face, kicking his feet as if he was in agony. Artemis waited patiently for his fit to subside, an amused twinkle in her dark eyes. When the Boy Wonder stilled, his mouth was pressed together in a tight line. Robin had been desperately hoping to avoid this particular topic. Anything would've been better. Like 'Did Batman ever have a mustache' or 'Do you ever get pulled over for underage driving'. Those would've been legit questions. Her question, it brought up a lot of... bad memories. And plus, it could potentially lead Artemis to clues about his secret ID. Robin was already risking his neck by letting KF in on that little secret. Boy Wonder didn't like the thought of stacking the odds against himself by giving away the secret to Artemis too.

For a long moment, he thought how best to answer. Truthful, but vague. Rubbing his arm in obvious discomfort, Robin said in a small voice, "I was... adopted into it."

Artemis' smirk vanished immediately. Her eyebrows came together and she looked closely at the emotions fighting behind Robin's shades. "Adopted? So..." she said aloud. The archer stopped talking, realizing what he was implying. The younger hero looked away, gripping his arm tightly with his other hand. Every muscled seemed to be tensed beneath his casual clothing. "Robin... I'm sorry. I-... Yeah," she said awkwardly, floundering the in abrupt, unhappy silence.

Pulling himself together, Robin looked up at her, a brave smile on his lips. "It's fine... besides, something good came out of it." It was better not to show how deep the scars were. He unclamped his hand from his arm and forced himself to relax.

"See, there's the silver lining," Artemis said encouragingly, gently patting Robin's black hair. The boy tensed at the contact, then the stiffness left his shoulders. Surprisingly, he didn't jerk away. Instead, he looked up at her, and she looked down at him.

Their eyes met. Two people with equally uncomfortable histories, tossed together. It was amazing how heroes had the darkest pasts at times. Artemis and Robin stared at each other, then smiled. In a world where a man could move fly and another passed the speed of light on a daily basis, it was nice to know there was someone else who was lacked all the glamour of superpowers. And who had a few secrets themselves.

The tension between them melted, and Robin flopped backward into the cushions, a smile on his face. "Tell me my afriend, whaddya like about Wally?"

Artemis pursed her lips, looking prim. "Personality or physically?"

Blinking, nonplussed, for a moment, Robin answered, "Both."

"Well, he's got a good sense of humor on him. And that geek brain," the archer snorted disdainfully, but she smiled. "Physically? He's got great legs." Her eyes twinkled mischievously, and she leaned forward, resting her chin on her folded hands. "Assuming this isn't classified information... what color are your eyes?"

Robin, contrary to what Artemis expected, cracked a huge grin, and said smugly, "Many a girl described them as twinkling orbs of sapphire."

_Ego the size of a small planet._ Artemis thought. "So blue?"

"Unless they had different colored sapphires from where you grew up," he quipped, smirking slightly.

"Shut up," Artemis ruffled his hair, making the younger hero jerk beneath her hand.

"So, favorite ice cream?" Robin returned, flattening his jet black hair.

"Mint Chip, hands down," Robin's afriend replied, waving her hand. Giving Robin a sly look, she proposed, "You can only wear one outfit for the rest of your life. What is it?"

"Ugh, a _clothes_ question?" He made a face. Then the Boy Wonder thought about it for a good moment and nodded to himself. "A black bodysuit. With a _blue_ bird on the chest." Robin waggled his eyebrows, referencing Artemis' favorite color. She shook her head, reluctantly smiling while rolling her eyes. "I'll be crimefighting for the rest of my life. I wanna look cool."

They laughed for a moment, then began quizzing each other on their favorite colors and movies. They touched on their worst villains and the qualities they valued in other people.

It was nice to have a friend. No, better. It was nice to have an _afriend_.


End file.
